A network service provider is an enterprise that supplies one or more services over a computer network to a set of customers, also referred to as subscribers. For instance, an Internet Service Provider (ISP) supplies residential or business subscribers with access to the Internet. Residential subscribers are often large in number and typically lack technical knowledge.
Residential subscribers frequently encounter problems with their computing devices and do not have the expertise to correct the problems themselves. Consequently, subscribers contact the service provider for assistance. It is then the duty of a representative of the service provider to diagnose the problems and offer solutions.
Service providers often provide static checklists or questionnaires via the Internet to aid the customer or front-line customer service representative in diagnosing the problem. However, many of the questions in the checklists are irrelevant because they do not elicit the information that the service provider actually needs. In addition, subscribers, lacking technical expertise, often do not understand the questions or may offer answers that confuse the representative. Consequently, fixed checklists are inefficient means of assessing the status of a subscriber's network.
The task of the representative is often made more difficult because residential subscribers can seldom distinguish between problems with their internal network and problems with the service provider's product. Further, the increased use of home routers and multiple Internet-enabled devices per subscriber location has made diagnosing and resolving network problems even more difficult. Because of the complexities and diversity of modern home networks, and the limited usefulness of static checklists, service providers often face great difficulties in analyzing their subscribers' networks.